The Prix Émile Hermès is an international design award reflecting the core commitments of the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, to promote expert skills and creativity. The Prize: aims to discover and encourage emerging design talent, reflecting the parallel aims of the Foundation’s programmes in the visual and performing arts. For the third annual competition, the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès has chosen a theme reflecting our increasingly vital need for a moment of peace, some time out, a brief pause - a chance to escape the relentless activity, ideas and obligations of the super-highway of modern life. The third Prix Emile Hermès takes the theme ’Time to yourself’ . We’re looking for thoughtful responses to contemporary lifestyles, postures, gestures, and the social and cultural needs of individuals everywhere, the things we have in common, and the things that set us apart, but which – when we choose to share them – become a source of rich spiritual renewal, the starting-point for new concepts, breaking with past stereotypes. There are three categories: • Professional graduates from schools of design, engineering, architecture, and visual or applied arts. • Non-graduate professionals with at least three years’ proven experience in professional design. • Final-year students from schools of design, engineering, architecture, and visual or applied arts. Candidates are invited to submit designs for an object, machine, utensil, piece of furniture, architectural concept etc., carefully devised and formulated for a specific, practical function while at the same time proposing a formal, aesthetic concept of the highest quality. Each design will offer a lasting, sustainable alternative to existing everyday objects performing the functions stated in the competition’s theme. Multi-purpose, adaptable designs are also invited, incorporating uses and applications which may be discovered over the life the object. The Prix Émile Hermès does not cover fashion or clothing. Designs should in no way echo or make reference to the house of Hermès (the parent organisation of the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès), nor to its logo, brand colours or style specifications. Participants may enter individually or in teams (up to five people). Maximum one entry per candidate or team. There is no entry fee. Eligibility: The Prix Émile Hermès is open to designers and engineers from all countries aged under 40 on November 17, 2013. Prize: After the closing date for the uploading of entries, the jury will meet to select those candidates who will be invited to produce prototypes based on their designs. The Fondation d’entreprise Hermès guarantees to meet the production costs of two prototypes for all selected finalists, based on the presentation of receipts to a maximum of 8,000 euros incl. VAT . All costs incurred beyond that amount will be paid exclusively by the finalists. The jury will meet in April 2014 to examine the prototypes and select the three winning entries. The jury will meet, and the award will be presented, in Paris at the headquarters of the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès in May 2014. The three finalists will receive a total of 90,000 euros.
